Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese

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All the fixings of incredible mac and cheese-pasta, crispy bacon, caramelized onions, and a creamy-sharp cheese sauce-mingle perfectly with butternut squash.

Prep Time:
15 mins
Cook Time:
40 mins
Bake Time:
14 mins
Total Time:
1 hrs 9 mins
Servings:
6

Ingredients

  • 12 ounce dried rigatoni

  • 1 ½ pound butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into chunks (3 1/2 cups)

  • 2 ¾ cup milk

  • ¼ cup all-purpose flour

  • 8 ounce smoked Gruyere cheese, shredded (2 cups)

  • 8 slices bacon

  • 2 small sweet onions, cut into chunks

  • 3 ounce sourdough bread

  • 2 tablespoon butter, melted

  • fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Lightly butter a 3-quart au gratin or baking dish; set aside. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain; transfer to a large bowl.

  2. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan combine the squash and 2 1/2 cups of the milk over medium-high heat. Bring to boiling; reduce heat to medium, and simmer until the squash is tender when pierced with a fork, 18 to 20 minutes. Stir together remaining 1/4 cup milk and flour; stir into squash mixture. Bring to boiling; cook until thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in 1 1/2 cups of the Gruyere until melted; keep warm.

  3. Meanwhile, in a very large skillet cook bacon until crisp; drain on paper towels. Crumble; set aside. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons bacon drippings. Return skillet to the heat.

  4. Add onions to skillet; cover and cook over low heat 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Uncover and increase heat to high. Cook 4 to 6 minutes more, stirring, until onions are golden.

  5. Add squash-cheese mixture, onions, and bacon to the bowl with the pasta. Toss well to combine, then transfer to prepared baking dish.

  6. Place bread in a food processor and pulse with two or three on/off turns to form large coarse crumbs (you should have about 2 cups). Transfer to a small bowl; mix with melted butter. Sprinkle remaining Gruyere and the bread crumbs over pasta mixture. Bake until top is browned, about 14 to 15 minutes. Cool 5 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

    Butternut Squash Mac Cheese
    Andy Lyons

Tips

To make ahead and freeze, omit preheating and prepare through Step 6 before putting in the oven to bake. Cover the prepared au gratin dish with foil. Freeze up to 1 month.

To serve, thaw in the refrigerator 24 hours (casserole will still be icy). Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake, covered, about 1 hour or until edges are bubbly. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with parsley.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

686 Calories
29g Fat
77g Carbs
30g Protein
Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe 6
Calories 686
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 29g 37%
Saturated Fat 15g 75%
Cholesterol 79mg 26%
Sodium 668mg 29%
Total Carbohydrate 77g 28%
Total Sugars 13g
Protein 30g
Vitamin C 24.8mg 124%
Calcium 605.8mg 47%
Iron 3.8mg 21%
Potassium 831mg 18%
Folate, total 221.8mcg
Vitamin B-12 1.3mcg
Vitamin B-6 0.5mg

*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

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